The Master Communication Skill

One of our morning show clients interviewed Larry King a few years ago. The cohost talked over Larry before he finished answering a question. Larry said, “Hold on, I wasn’t finished with my point. You know, the best questions come from listening to the response to the last question.”

Larry was right. When we are half-listening and waiting to talk, we come off as disrespectful and miss opportunities to formulate a better response, question, or come back.

Active listening is not just hearing the words; it’s fully concentrating, understanding, and remembering what’s said.

I’m betting you’ve heard radio or podcast interviews where the host jumps to a new question without acknowledging or following up on an important point or story the guest shared. Another indication the host isn’t listening is asking a question the guest has already answered.

Active listening improves communication and performance within teams, with callers, and with guests in several ways:

Enhances conversation flow:

• Talents respond organically rather than thinking about what they’ll say next, creating more natural, engaging dialogue.
   
• Genuine listening enables hosts to ask insightful, spontaneous follow-up questions.

Builds rapport:

• Active listening shows respect and interest in the person talking. This promotes trust within teams, makes callers and guests feel more comfortable, and leads to open and honest conversations.
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• Listeners pick up on the rapport and feel part of the conversation.

Improves clarity and depth:

For spoken word formats, active listening ensures the host grasps complex issues and enables them to summarize them better for the audience.

Engages the audience emotionally:

• When personalities listen actively and ask insightful questions, they reflect listeners’ curiosity, making the discussion more relatable to the audience.
   
• Hosts who pick up on the emotional cues of callers and guests steer the conversation in an emotional direction, connecting more impactfully with listeners.

Credibility:

Active listening enables hosts to manage complex and sensitive conversations more effectively. As a result, you’ll be able to respond more appropriately to controversial topics.

5 Steps to Being an Active Listener:

1. Listen with empathy:

• Listen closely to the words and picture what’s being said.
• Show an understanding of the speaker’s feelings and perspectives.
• Read between the lines. Notice tone of voice and body language.
• Notice what is not being said.
• Use the One Second Rule. Avoid interrupting; when someone finishes talking, pause for a second before you start talking.

2. Listen with full attention, no distractions like screens.
3. Listen with curiosity and genuine interest.
  4. Suspend judgment until the speakers finishes and avoid jumping to conclusions.
5. Interviews: Summarize what was said so you and the audience understand the guest or caller’s point.

The more you perfect the art of active listening, the more your communication and conversations will improve professionally and personally.

For additional active listening skills, check out last week’s Coaching Tip.

Photo by Jarritos Mexican Soda on Unsplash